Bed-motion



Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

a SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN VEN TOR.

@gm Y 7 EDWARD F DUDLEY E. F. DUDLEY.

BED MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16I9I9. 1,367,466.

A TTORNEYS WI TNESS E. F. DUDLEY.

BED MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16. 1919.

1,367,466, Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5' WITNESS: I N V EN TOR.

EDWARD E DUDLEY BY A TTORNEYS E. F. DUDLEY.

BED MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I6. 1919.

Peeeeeed Feb. 1,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHLET 3- i. M e,

EDWARD E Duo/.EY

A TTORNEI S UNITED STATES PATENT ortica.

EDWARD F. DUDIJEY, OF OAX PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MIEHLE PRINTING' `PRESS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

BED-MOTION.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Original application led September l2, 1916, Serial No. 118,189. Divided and application iiled January 31, 1918, Serial No. 214,616. Divided and this application led September 16, 1919. Serial No. 324,126.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. DUDLEY, a citizen of the United States, residin at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed-Motions, of which the following is a specification, the same bein a division of my co-pending application erial No. 214,616, filed January 31, 1918, and which, in turn, is a' division of myapplication Serial No. 118,189, filed September 2, 1916, patented November 5, isis, as No. 1,284,18

The invention relates to mechanism fo converting rotary motion into to and fro rectilinear or 'reciprocating motion. lt has more especial reference to means of this kind for utilizing rotary motion for reciprocating the bed of a printing press or like machine.

ln devices for this purpose the bed is driven throughout the greater part of its stroke at a constant rate of speed by suitable constant speed mechanism, and is slowed down, stopped, and started on its return stroke at each end of its travel by reversing mechanism embodying devices giving the bed a rate of speed gradually decreasing from the maximum speed to a point of rest and increasing from such point of rest until 'the maximum speed is agaln attained.

lthas been usual in mechanism of this character to employ such shifting devices comprising parts which reciprocate with the bed and at the time of reversal are moving in the same direction as the bed, thus disadvantageously adding their momentum to that of the bed, the total of which must be overcome to bring the latter to a stop for reversal. lt has also been customary to employ gears axially shifted to bring them into engagement alternately with oppos1tely rotating gears in order to reverse the direction of bed travel. Likewise, an objectionable feature found in bed shifting mechanism is the disposition of the voperating parts at such distance below the plane of the bed as to preclude the employment of sufficiently massive and most efficiently distributed sup porting pillars.

By the invention of my Fatent 1,284,183 (a partial description of the construction of which is embodied herein for purposes of a clear understanding of my present invenlby the construction of my tion) the bed reversing devices reciprocate, at the moment of reversal, in a d1rection counter` to the direction of movement of the bed pr1or to reversal, thus aiding in neutralizing the jars and strains `inc1dent to reversal and due to the momentum of the bed and counteracting the tendency of the press to s hdeon the loor, thus minimizing the strains on the press frame. These bed shiftmg devlces are, moreover, on the same side of the center of gravity of the press as the bed itself thus avoiding any torsional strain o n the press in a vertical plane tending to tip the press upon reversal. "Furthermore,

co-pending applicat1on Serlal No. 214,616, as also by the present invention which is a modification and division thereof, shiftable gears are dispensed with and the power is transmitted by the gears in a constant manner without shock.

Other advantageous characteristics of the invention from the standpoint of sim licity, compactness, efficiency and dependabi ity for the purposes intended will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a further consideration of the constructional features of the present'invention as set forth, by way of example, in the following detailed de-y scription of an embodiment thereof as illustrlatedB in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating in side elevation a printing press embodying the invent1on; o

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a central transverse vertical section taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. a is a side elevation of Fig. 3; and F Fig 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of 1g. the drawings, the frame of the press is indicated generally at 11, the printing cylinder at 12 suitably journaled in the frame, details not shown, and the central supporting pillar at 13. These old and well known elements of press construction are shown in a diagrammatic manner only, be.

impression cdylinder 12 at a constant speed in a given irect1on. The shaft 18 of the gear16 carries in addition to the gear 16 a gear 19 and a crank arm 20.

Power is also transmitted from the shaft 18 through the ear 19 to a ear 21 mounted upon the sub-Slgaft 22 and aving teeth 23 which may be of uniform width. Formed integral with the gear 21 or bolted thereto as indicated in fixed relation are two segment gears 24 and 25, the former lying immediately adjacent the gear 21 and the latter separated therefrom by the width of the se ment gear 24. The segment gear 24 exten s through an arc of 12() degrees, as does also the Segment gear 25, the two segments being angularly displaced so that the gap on one side of the shaft 22 embraces an arc of 3044 degrees, while the gap on-the other side em races an are of 895A degrees.

A countershaft 26 is mounted 1n the machine frame parallel to the shaft 18 and cari and 31, the former arranged to mesh with the segment gear 24. Alongside the countershaft 26 is a stub shaft 32 carrying a wide or double faced pinion 33, one-half of the face of which is arranged to mesh with the segment gear 25 while the other half thereof is in mesh constantly with the pinion 31. The wide gear 33 runs idly upon the stub shaft 32 and serves for the reversal of the direction of rotation of the shaft 26 during the time the said pinion 33 is driven by the segment gear 25.

The operation of this gear train is as follows: The gear 21 and the segment gears 24 and 25 being constantly driven in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 4 and 5, the segment gear 24 comes into mesh with the pinion 30 a sufficient length of time after the segment gear 25 has left the pinion 33 to permit of the reversal of the bed as previously described, by the reversing mechanism. The pinion 3() is driven by the segment gear 24 in a counter-clockwise direction thus moving the bed to the left through the mediation of the shaft 26 and pinion 27 meshing with the rack 28. 'After the teeth of the segment gear 24 clear those of the pinion 30, and allowing the same interval for the reversing of the direction of bed movement by the reversing mechanism, the teeth of the segmentgear 25 come into mesh with the teeth of the pinion 33 rotating this pinion in a counter-clockwise direction and the movement of the pinion 33 being transmitted through the pinion 31 to the shaft 26, causing the latter to move in a clockwise direction and .through the mediation of the pinion 27 and the rack 28 moving the bed to neen-wo the right. During the functionin 4of the segment gear 25 the pinion 33 is t us used for driving the bed m a reversedirection, but during the functioning of the se ent gear 24 the pinion 33 is running idle. t will be readily understood that the difference in the gap of 30% degrees and the gap of 894 degrees on the two sides of the shaft 22 is to compensate for the disposition of the pinlons 30 and 31 on the one hand and the pinion 33 on the other in advance of each other, there being a net interval of 60 degrees of arc between the segment gears 24 and 25 to allow for the functioning of the reverslng mechanism to slow down, stop and accelerate'the speed of the bed in the opposite direction, as will now be described.

The crank arm 20 previously referred to as being fixed upon the end of the shaft 18 is connected by means of a wrist pin 34 to a link 35, the opposite end of which is pivoted at 36 to a reversing bar 37 guided within bracket guides 38, 39 for rectilinear reciproeating motion above the shaft 14 and slightly below the plane of the bed 29. This reversing bar 37 is provided near its ends on the upper face with racks 40, 41 in mesh respectively with loose pinions 42, 43 on stationary shafts 44 and 45 or, obviously, the pinions may be tight thereon and the shafts suitably journaled in the frame. The shafts 44, 45 have also mounted thereon pinions 46 and 47, the teeth of which extend into the horizontal plane of the rack 28 but to one side thereof. Intermediate the two ends of the bed 29 alongside the rack 28, in the vertical plane of the pinions 46, 47 is a noncontinuous or interrupted rack 48, 49', the rack portions of whichl are adapted to be enaged by the pinions 46, 47 immediately beore, at the time of, and after the reversal of the direction of bed movement, the inions 46 and 47 taking control of the bed t rough the means of the short rack portions 48 and 49 immediately before the gears 30 and 33 leave the segments 24 and 25, during the interval of time when neither the gears 30 or 33 is in mesh with either of the segments 24 or 25, and for a slight length of time after the gears 30 and 33 again engage the respective segments. The bed motion is thus during the period of reversal under the control of the reciprocating bar 37, such control being received from the segments 24 and 25 of the regular bed drive at the exact speed of the bed movement between reversal points, without shock, the speed of the bed during the time it is controlled by the reversing bar 37 decreasing gradually from the full normal speed thereof to a standstill at the point of reversal and then gradually increasing until the speed of the bed drive 1s attained.

A noteworthy feature of the reversing bar, the said reversing bar is moving in a o direction opposite to that of the bed, the

momentum of the latter serving to neutralize the jars of reversing and to counteract the effect on the press frame of the momentum of the bed as the latter is being slowed down, in contradistinction to the usual form of device in which the reversing mechanism is moving at the time of reversal in the same direction as the bed, whereby the tendency to skid the press on the floor and the conseuent strain on the frame is augmented.

t the instant of reversal, the bed being stationary, the reciprocating reversing bar 37 is also stationary, the crank arm 20 being at dead center. All the advantages of the arenal motion of the crank are thus utilized, the increase in motion of thereversing bar 37 being gradual from the dead center of the crank as 1t travels through an arc of 90 degrees, at which time the bed is moving at its maximum speed and is then transferred to the regular drive. It will also be observed that by employment of the angularly displaced segment gears 24, 25, coperating with the pinions 30 and 31 and the idler pinion 33, the bed is driven alternately in opposite directions from the same drive shaft without the employment of gears shift-able upon their axes into and out of engagement with other gears. Moreover by the arrangement herein setl forth,h all of the bed reversing mechanism is confined vertically to a space immediately below the bed whereby the lower space is utilizable tor heavy pillars and other massive supports tor the press, thus lending greater stability. it is to be noted that if the reversing bar 37 were disposed below the center of gravity of the press, the movement oi the reversing bar at the time of reversal counter to the direction of movement of the bed would by its momentum augment the momentum of the bed in the way of a tendency to upend the press or subject the same to a torsional strain in a vertical plane about the center oi gravity, The arrangement of the reversing bar immediately below the bed and its movement counter to that of the bed at the time oi' reversal assists in neutralizing the strains during the reversing without a tendency to upend the press and with a less strain upon the frame than would otherwise be the case.

lit also should be observed that by means ot the gear train forming the subject matter ciJ the present application, the driving,

stopping and reversing of the bed motion is accomplished ywithout the employment of axially shifted gears, by the employment of segment gears driven in the same direction as distinguished from segment gears driven in opposite directions as set forth in application Serial No. 214,616 of which this case is a divisionv I claim: i

-1. The combination with a reciprocable bed, of a gear train for driving it alternately in opposite directions through the medial portion of its travel, the gear train including angularly displaced toothed sectors disposed in adjacent parallel planes,

said sectors 'rotating in the same direction l and one acting directly and the other throu h the medium of an idler.

2. he combination with a reciprocable bed, of ageai' train acting by a single rack attached to the' bed to drive it alternately 1n o posite directions through the medial portion of its travel, said train including angularly displaced toothed sectors having fixed relation to each other disposed in adjacent parallel planes, one acting directlyand the other through the medium of an idler.

3. The combination with a reciprocable bed, of a gear train operating by a single rack attachedto the bed to drivev it alternately in opposite directions through the medial portion of its travel, a separate gearv train operating to slow down, reverse and accelerate the bed when it is delivered to it bed, of agear train operating by a single P rack attached to the bed to drive it alternately in opposite directions through the medial portion of its travel, a separate gear train operating to slow down, reverse and accelerate the bed when it is delivered to it by the first train oit gearing near each end of the stroke, the first gear train consisting ott members fixed against axial shift- Aing and including segment gears rotating in the same direction and acting in succession, one directly andthe other through the medium of an idler.

5. The combination with a reciprocable bed, of means `for driving the same alternately in opposite directions and comprising a countershaft having two pinions thereon, a continuously rotating drive shaft, two trains of gearing for alternately connecting the drive and countershaft and each train including a gear having a minor segment of teeth, the teeth of one segment arranged to mesh with one of the pinions on the countershait, and an idler gear interposed between the other segment gear and the other pinion on the countershaft whereby to drive the countershaft alternately in opposite directions.

(5. The combination with a reciprocable bed, of means for driving the same alternatelj,7 in opposite directions and comprising a countershaft having two pinions thereon,a continuously rotating drive shaft, two trains of gearing for alternately connecting the drive and countershaft and each train including a gear having a minor segment of teeth, the toothed segments of the two gears angularly displaced and together occupying less than 36() degrees with gaps at each end, one segment arranged to mesh with one of the pinions on the countershaft, and an idler gear interposed between the other segment gear and the other pinion on the countershaft whereby to drive the countershaft alternately in opposite directions.

7. The combination with a reciproeable bed, of means for driving the same alternately in opposite directions and comprising a countershaft having two pinions thereon, a continuously rotating drive shaft, two trains of gearing for alternately connecting the drive and countershaft and each train including a gear having a minor segment of teeth, the toothed segments of the two gears angularly displaced and the angular extent of each being such as to leave a substantial gap therebetween at each end whereby to relinquish the control of the bed near the limit of its travel in each direction, the teeth of one segment arranged to mesh with one of the pinions on the countershaft, and an idler gear interposed between the other segment gear and the other pinion on the countershaft, whereby to drive the eountershaft in opposite directions alternately after each relinquishment of control, and a separate gear train operating to slow down, reverse and accelerate the bed when delivered to it by the first train of gears near each end of the stroke.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. i

EDWARD F. DUDLEY.. Witnesses:

LEWIS T. GREIs'r, FRANCES K. GILLESPIE. 

